Guest Column
| May 31, 2013

Avoid These Common Mistakes When Selling IT-as-a-Service

By Justin Crotty, Senior Vice President and General Manager, NetEnrich, Inc.

When VARs and MSPs ask about the mistakes their peers have made when it comes to selling IT-as-a-Service (ITaaS), two things come to mind immediately. 1) They didn’t do their homework, and 2) They tried to do it all themselves.

Offering ITaaS is radically different than selling products or even solutions. You simply can’t go about the sale, or the support, the same way. That’s where the homework comes in. Those channel partners who are successfully selling ITaaS took the time to adjust their sales, service and support models before making the move. Or they learned the hard way and then made the necessary adjustments.

Another key differentiator – they partnered on the back end so that they could focus on the front end of the business. Many of the most successful MSPs today are leveraging partners to elevate their game and deliver exceptional service. They aren’t doing it all themselves, but they are offering it all. To be successful selling ITaaS, channel partners have to get comfortable with collaboration.